Preventing Sepsis/Joint Ill

[LockeMeadows]

I am worrying myself sick about my up-coming foal due in April. Last year, this mare's colt developed joint ill at 5 days old. We did everything by the book and we still almost lost him.

This year, my plan is to keep a "special" foaling stall for her. It will remained stripped until the night she waxes. It will be bleached and scrubbed from top to bottom to top again. I don't want her in it prior to foaling because I want it spotless until right before the foal arrives.

Until she waxes, I will keep her in the foaling stall next to the "special" one. It will be stripped every day while she is turned out and the walls and floor will be bleached daily.

Last year, she foaled out in a nice grassy paddock. This year, I'm hoping she'll foal in the stall, but this mare is pretty smart.

The colt's IgG levels were over 800, he never had a fever, and was just healthy up until day five. I'm not sure what went wrong and I don't want to make the same mistake.

What can I do to keep this year's baby healthy? Does anyone give their newborns Pen "just in case"?

[Tango14]

I read a while back on reproduction.com that the mare should actually be in the area she is going to foal in a few weeks before she foals so that she can build up anti-bodies?

[LockeMeadows]

I read a while back on reproduction.com that the mare should actually be in the area she is going to foal in a few weeks before she foals so that she can build up anti-bodies?

She is in the area she's going to foal...just not the same stall. :)

[Tango14]

I kind of think they meant the 'place' - stable, paddock, whatever.

[sid]

Get that navel stump soaked the minute it breaks (betadine or chlorhexadine -- I use betadine) immediately and repeat daily, several times times a day, until it is clearly dry.

Keep "banked" colostrum to fortify your mare's supply and administer it if the foal takes a bit "too long" to nurse well.

Good luck!

[fish]

I'm with sid on the colostrum-- except that I'd take it a step or two further: e.g., I'd be collecting as much fresh from the mare as possible, especially if she's dripping/streaming prior to foaling, test that for antibody levels, and get the best of it into the foal ASAP-- certainly before s/he starts sucking/licking all available surfaces searching for that first meal. Last year's foal was born at Va. Tech. due to placentitis, and that's what was done. My mare started streaming 24+ hours prior to foaling, and I was amazing how much those antibody levels changed. The best clostrum was in our jars long before that baby was anywhere near standing. Needless to say, this colt was a very high risk for sepsis, which was why he was delivered in a hospital.

P.S. IMO, it's safest to administer that first colostrum with a small bowl than a bottle to avoid aspiration.

[Edgewood]

I'm with sid on the colostrum-- except that I'd take it a step or two further: e.g., I'd be collecting as much fresh from the mare as possible, especially if she's dripping/streaming prior to foaling, test that for antibody levels, and get the best of it into the foal ASAP-- certainly before s/he starts sucking/licking all available surfaces searching for that first meal. Last year's foal was born at Va. Tech. due to placentitis, and that's what was done. My mare started streaming 24+ hours prior to foaling, and I was amazing how much those antibody levels changed. The best clostrum was in our jars long before that baby was anywhere near standing. Needless to say, this colt was a very high risk for sepsis, which was why he was delivered in a hospital.

P.S. IMO, it's safest to administer that first colostrum with a small bowl than a bottle to avoid aspiration.

This is what I do to. I give the foal colostrum before it even stands. But make sure to really clean the mare's udder before you milk her. I also give oral Seramune and E coli endotox to supplement the mare's colostrum. The sooner the colostrum gets in the gut, the sooner the gut closes up (thus less pathogens) and the better it prevents any infection.

I also recommend chlorhexidine because the studies show it prevents infection better than iodine dips of the navel stump.

[sid]

Absolutely, if you can collect it from the mare, by all means do. But, I like to have a quart on hand (frozen) that I used to get from Sandy Kistner. If a foal has a weak suck response and won't take the bottle, the vet tubes. I've only had to do that once, but the key was getting into baby quickly. In most cases they'll take it from a baby bottle, with the nipple holes slightly enlarged. If they're not already standing, they must be sternal to administer or aspiration can occur. NEVER try to "drench".

If you don't need it, it's good for two years. If I know I'm not going to need it that 2nd year, I let local vets know I have it in case they have an emergency. Amazing the # of times I've met a mare owner in the driveway at 3 a.m.!

[clint]

A few years ago I attended a breeding/foaling seminar given by UC Davis. Dr. Madigan related a story about a farm he visited because they had a high incidence of naval ill. He began a protocol of washing the mare, including the milk bag, between foaling and the time the foal gets up and nurses. While the foal is fumbling for the teats, he ingests a lot of foreign material, lots of it from the stall floor, and until the gut closes, it is a mainline of infectious material to the bloodstream. He said that incidences of septic foals were significantly reduced with this protocol. He also said that chlorhexidine is much better than iodine or betadine for the naval.

[sid]

Yes, chlorhexadine is the new protocal. However, I have two horses that are severely allergic to it (contact detrmitis). Glad I didn't use it on them when they were born or I'd have had real problems. That's the only reason I have to stick to Betadine as so many of my horses are "related".

[Edgar]

Yes, Dr. Madigan did great studies and wrote a great paper on this about 10 years ago while we had one of his students foal out her mare here at the time so we were in on it and followed his recomendations. We always wash not just the udder but hthe flanks, shoulder etc right before nursing and we do not see sceptic foals. He also recommends Gentocyn/Penycilin for the initial 3 days while the gut is open. He recommends any kind of milk ASAP after birth.

[clint]

One other thing mentioned in this seminar is that if your barn/stall is composed of organic material, ie. wood, it won't disinfect. You pretty much need a cement/cinderblock barn to effectively disinfect.

If you foal the mare outside, you should have many acres. If you foal in a smaller area, there is a lot of contamination from various critters crossing it, using it, etc.

Edgar, I'm going to clarify the need to get colostrum, milk, anything in the gut ASAP after birth. The quicker you do this the quicker the gut begins closing, and the less possibility of sepsis through the open gut to the blood. I have become neurotic about getting the foal nursing in a hurry.

[sid]

When I built my barn, we put 3 very thick coats of polyurethane on all of our wood finishes including all stall walls. This enabled us to clean and disinfect the foaling stall walls very effectively. Those with wood walls can quite inexpensively sand down wood walls and do the same for future foalings.

[Maryanne Nicpon]

You can also have your vet administer plasma shortly after birth. I am in Saratoga where there are tons of TB farms and they do this with every foal as a matter of routine. Some of these farms foal out 150 mares or more, so there are mares/foals constantly coming and going. They feel the plasma helps get the foals a good start, especially since they will soon be on a trailer with mom going to be bred.